Texas Funding Guide: ESA, Medicaid Waivers, and Homeschool Funding
Facts checked September 18, 2026 · 6-minute read · by the Brainrich Kids team
Texas launched its Education Freedom Accounts in 2026-27. Homeschoolers receive $2,000 a year, every purchase runs through the Odyssey marketplace, and nothing published so far names playground or exercise equipment. The Medicaid waivers cover "Adaptive Aids," behind the longest interest lists in the country.
The quick answer for Texas: Texas Education Freedom Accounts (TEFA) pay $2,000 a year to homeschooled students, $10,474 to private school students, and up to $30,000 for a student with an IEP, all through the Odyssey marketplace. The eligible expense list has no physical education or playground equipment category, so a play gym is not confirmed eligible. The Medicaid waivers (HCS, CLASS, TxHmL, MDCP) cover "Adaptive Aids" up to $10,000 a plan year ($4,000 in MDCP), and the interest lists held 200,128 people as of July 31, 2026.
Please read this first: program rules, amounts, and waitlists change every year, sometimes mid-year, and no vendor can promise that a program will approve a purchase. Every row below was checked against the linked source on September 18, 2026. Before you spend a dollar, confirm the current rules with the program itself.
Jump to: Texas facts table · Can this fund a Brainrich gym? · Next steps · FAQ · The full guides · Sources
Texas funding facts at a glance
Three kinds of public money can reach a family in Texas: an education account or scholarship, a Medicaid waiver for a child with a developmental disability, and any homeschool-specific tax benefit. Here is what each official source says.
| Question | What the official source says (Texas) | Source |
|---|---|---|
| ESA or scholarship program | Texas Education Freedom Accounts (TEFA). Active, first year 2026-27. More than 274,000 applications and over 100,000 awards. | Texas Comptroller |
| Who runs it | Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, with Odyssey as the program platform. | Texas Comptroller |
| Amount per student | 2026-27: $2,000 a year for homeschooled students, paid in full on July 1. $10,474 for students in an approved private school. Up to $30,000 for a student with a disability who has an IEP on file. | Texas Comptroller |
| Who qualifies | Texas residents eligible to attend a Texas public school or pre-K. Funding is limited, and the 2026-27 application window (February 4 to March 31, 2026) is closed. | Texas Comptroller |
| Can homeschoolers use it? | Yes, at the $2,000 tier. We found no change to homeschool legal status on official pages. | Comptroller news release |
| Curriculum | Allowed: textbooks and instructional materials, with marketplace categories for curriculum, workbooks, and STEM kits. | Odyssey eligible expenses |
| Therapies and therapy equipment | Educational therapy services from a practitioner are allowed, for amounts Medicaid, CHIP, or private insurance do not cover. Therapy equipment is not addressed. | Odyssey eligible expenses |
| PE and play equipment | Not addressed. The eligible expense list has no PE or playground equipment category. Marketplace vendor categories include "Sporting Equipment" and "Physical Education Instruction," with no published definition and nothing for playsets or exercise equipment. | Odyssey marketplace categories |
| How purchases work | Odyssey. All approved purchases go through the TEFA marketplace with approved vendors. We found no reimbursement route. | Odyssey eligible expenses |
| Medicaid waiver for children | HCS, CLASS, TxHmL, and MDCP (through STAR Kids), all run by Texas Health and Human Services. | HHSC waiver comparison |
| Equipment category to ask for | "Adaptive Aids": devices needed to treat, rehabilitate, prevent, or compensate for conditions resulting in disability or loss of function. Per plan year: $10,000 in HCS and TxHmL, $10,000 combined with dental in CLASS, $4,000 in MDCP. | HHSC waiver comparison |
| Waiver waitlist | 200,128 people across the interest lists as of July 31, 2026 (HCS 134,931, TxHmL 117,344, CLASS 99,251, MDCP 7,239). Some people on the HCS and CLASS lists have waited 15 years or more. | HHSC interest list data |
| Katie Beckett or TEFRA option | Confirm with the program. We could not verify this on an official source on September 18, 2026. | Ask the program |
| Other homeschool funding | None found on official sources. Texas has no state income tax to credit against. | Ask the program |
A row that reads "Confirm with the program" means we could not verify that fact on an official source, so we left it open instead of guessing.
Can this fund a Brainrich gym in Texas?
A Brainrich gym is a steel indoor climbing frame: ladders, monkey bars, rings, a rope, and a swing point, for ages 3 and up with a parent in the same room. Programs do not approve brands. They approve categories, one purchase at a time. Here is how each lane looks today.
Not confirmed eligible
Texas Education Freedom Accounts
Nothing published names playground, playset, or exercise equipment, purchases are limited to approved vendors inside the Odyssey marketplace, and the homeschool tier is $2,000 a year. The one opening is "other education-related expenses approved by the Texas Comptroller." Treat a play gym as not confirmed eligible until the program says otherwise.
Case by case
HCS, CLASS, TxHmL, and MDCP
Ask your case manager about "Adaptive Aids." CLASS requires a specific form for every adaptive aid and extra specifications above $500. Approval is decided case by case in your child's individual service plan, usually with an OT or PT recommendation attached, and most waivers pay only after regular Medicaid or private insurance has said no. No state approves play equipment automatically. Put your child on every interest list they may qualify for today. The lists run by date.
Needs a Letter of Medical Necessity
HSA and FSA dollars (the same in every state)
HSA and FSA rules are federal, so Texas families follow the same path as everyone else: with a qualifying diagnosis and a Letter of Medical Necessity, a play gym may be eligible. Your plan administrator makes the final call. Start with is a play gym HSA/FSA eligible? and the Letter of Medical Necessity template.
What Brainrich does, and does not do. We never promise that a program will approve a purchase. That decision belongs to the program. Applications, service plans, and therapist letters are the family's and their professional's work.
The one document we provide is an itemized invoice or quote. Email info@brainrichkids.com with (1) your full name, (2) your address, and (3) the model and color. We send back the invoice with shipping, applicable taxes, and the full total, ready for a case worker or a program portal.
🧩 A budget does not have to cover the whole build
Every Brainrich gym is modular. A Model T3 that fits this year's budget becomes a Spider V3 the day you add the Monkey Bars, and each add-on is its own purchase with its own invoice. Families fund the frame from one budget cycle and the expansion from a later one, out of pocket, or as a gift. That means matching real purchases to real budget cycles. It never means splitting a single purchase to slip under a review threshold, which programs treat as a red flag.
Next steps for Texas families
1. Add your child to the HCS, CLASS, TxHmL, and MDCP interest lists now if they may qualify. A child can be on more than one list.
2. TEFA families: spend the $2,000 on what the marketplace clearly covers, and watch for the Comptroller's item-level guidance as the program matures.
3. When a case worker, support broker, or program portal asks for pricing, request an itemized invoice from us: email info@brainrichkids.com with your full name, your address, and the model and color. We reply with shipping, applicable taxes, and the full total.
Frequently asked questions: Texas
Does Texas have an ESA (education savings account)? Yes. Texas Education Freedom Accounts launched for 2026-27 under the Texas Comptroller, with Odyssey as the platform. Awards are $10,474 for private school students, $2,000 for homeschooled students, and up to $30,000 for a student with an IEP.
Can Texas homeschoolers use TEFA? Yes, at $2,000 a year, paid in full on July 1. All spending goes through the Odyssey marketplace with approved vendors. The 2026-27 application window is closed.
Can TEFA pay for a play gym or PE equipment? It is not confirmed eligible. The eligible expense list has no PE or playground equipment category. Marketplace categories include "Sporting Equipment," with no published definition and nothing for playsets or exercise equipment.
Which Texas Medicaid waiver can fund sensory or adaptive equipment? HCS, CLASS, TxHmL, and MDCP all cover "Adaptive Aids," up to $10,000 per plan year in HCS, TxHmL, and CLASS (combined with dental) and $4,000 in MDCP. The interest lists held 200,128 people as of July 31, 2026.
Does Brainrich work with Texas funding programs? We provide the itemized invoice or quote that Texas programs and case workers ask for: email info@brainrichkids.com with your full name, your address, and the model and color, and we send it back with shipping, applicable taxes, and the full total. We do not prepare applications or service plans, and we never promise that a program will approve a purchase. That decision belongs to the program.
📚 The full funding guides
Can You Buy PE and Play Equipment With ESA Funds? · State Disability Waiver Programs: All 50 States · Homeschool Grants and Funding, State by State · Is a Play Gym HSA/FSA Eligible? · Letter of Medical Necessity Template · Financial Assistance: every door in one place · Funding guides for other states
Sources
All sources checked September 18, 2026. Texas Comptroller. Texas Education Freedom Accounts. · Texas Comptroller. Initial funding news release, June 30, 2026. · Odyssey. TEFA eligible educational expenses. · Odyssey. TEFA purchase restrictions. · Odyssey. Texas marketplace categories. · Texas HHSC. LTSS waiver comparison. · Texas HHSC. Interest list reduction data.